Open Access Scientific Journals of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Verona
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Doppia coppia: Ariosto e Cervantes, Hegel e Auerbach
No full textThe essay compares Hegel’s reading of Ariosto with Auerbach’s interpretation of Cervantes and explores why recent criticism has largely regarded these two authoritative interpretations as unsatisfactory. By tracing Hegel’s influence on the structure of Mimesis, the article examines, on the one hand, the possibility of identifying common dynamics in the reception of Ariosto and Cervantes, and, on the other, the potential to revise Auerbach’s interpretation of Cervantes in the chapter «The Enchanted Dulcinea» through principles drawn from Mimesis itself and from Auerbach’s broader workEl ensayo compara la lectura de Ariosto por parte de Hegel y la lectura de Cervantes por parte de Auerbach, así como las razones por las cuales la crítica en los últimos años ha evaluado principalmente estas dos interpretaciones autorizadas como insatisfactorias. Volviendo a la influencia de Hegel en la configuración de Mimesis, el artículo discute, por un lado, la posibilidad de identificar dinámicas comunes en la recepción de Ariosto y Cervantes, y por otro, la de corregir la interpretación de Cervantes propuesta por Auerbach en el capítulo «Dulcinea encantada» con principios derivados de su propia obra.El ensayo compara la lectura de Ariosto por parte de Hegel y la lectura de Cervantes por parte de Auerbach, así como las razones por las cuales la crítica en los últimos años ha evaluado principalmente estas dos interpretaciones autorizadas como insatisfactorias. Volviendo a la influencia de Hegel en la configuración de Mimesis, el artículo discute, por un lado, la posibilidad de identificar dinámicas comunes en la recepción de Ariosto y Cervantes, y por otro, la de corregir la interpretación de Cervantes propuesta por Auerbach en el capítulo «Dulcinea encantada» con principios derivados de su propia obra.Il saggio mette in rapporto la lettura di Ariosto da parte di Hegel e quella di Cervantes offerta da Auerbach, nonché le ragioni per cui la critica degli ultimi anni ha perlopiù valutato come insoddisfacenti queste due pur autorevoli interpretazioni. Risalendo all’influenza di Hegel sull’impostazione di Mimesis, l’articolo discute da un lato la possibilità di individuare dinamiche comuni nella ricezione di Ariosto e di Cervantes, e dall’altro quella di correggere l’interpretazione di Cervantes proposta da Auerbach nel capitolo «Dulcinea incantata» con principi ricavabili dal suo stesso lavoro.
La diplomazia a casa: le famiglie ospitanti il Congresso di Verona e la politica degli Stati italiani
No full textRiassunto: Il Congresso delle potenze europee dell’autunno 1822 rese Verona, per due mesi, la momentanea capitale del continente. La grande diplomazia internazionale abitava nei palazzi e nelle case delle famiglie della città. Il ruolo che i veronesi possano aver giocato negli avvenimenti è di complessa ricostruzione. Ma, in alcuni casi, come in quello dei Miniscalchi, dei Giusti del Giardino e dei Canossa, è possibile intravedere una scelta accorta delle loro abitazioni da parte della Congregazione municipale in ordine a una loro discreta partecipazione allo scioglimento di delicate questioni diplomatiche.
Abstract: The Congress of the European powers was held in autumn 1822, and for two months Verona was dignified as the momentary capital of the continent. The great international diplomacy was received by the households of the city and welcomed to their houses and palaces. Defining the role of the Veronese host families is quite complex. However, for some of them, such as the Miniscalchi, the Giusti del Giardino and the Canossa families, it is possible to see how the municipal congregation selected their accommodations for the sake of settling delicate matters of diplomacy.
Parole chiave: Congresso di Verona, diplomazia, conferenze, accordi internazionali, ospitalità, politica dell’equilibrio
Key words: Congress of Verona, Diplomacy, Conferences, International Agreements, Hospitality, Policy for Regional Equality
“Doctors – Nymphoses”. Selected Excerpts from Aby
No full textSi presentano, nella traduzione italiana curata da Laura Giuliberti, alcuni estratti da Aby (2022), primo romanzo della poetessa francese Marie de Quatrebarbes.Presented here, in the Italian translation by Laura Giuliberti, are several excerpts from Aby (2022), the first novel by the French poet Marie de Quatrebarbes
O Николаe Угодникe и Касьяне Угоднике у Достоевского (На материале Преступления и наказания)
No full textOn Nikolai Ugodnik and Kasyan Ugodnik in Dostoevsky (on the material of Crime and Punishment)
The question of the presence of St Nicholas in Dostoevsky’s works has already been studied by literary critics (e.g. Meyer, Nazirov, Agashina). Direct and indirect references to the image or name of St. Nicholas “the Ugodnik” occur many times in Dostoevsky’s fiction (including his novels Humiliated and Insulted, The Gambler, Demons, and The Adolescent) and in his correspondence (see, for example, the writer’s comment about St. Nicholas in his letter to Maikov of the 9th of October 1870: “He will not leave us, because St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the Russian spirit and Russian unity”). The author of this paper pays special attention to relevant echoes in Crime and Punishment, where the figure of the saint is reflected in the “two Mikolkas” (the drunken peasant who kills the horse in Raskolnikov’s first dream and the old believer who admits to murdering the pawnbroker). These particular echoes of St Nicholas are worth considering in the light of some folklore texts, especially one legend in which St Nicholas is the main person along with his “opponent” Kasyan. In the years of the birth of the plot and the writing of the novel many interesting folklore collections and materials (Yakushkin, Afanasiev) were published, of which Dostoevsky could not have been unaware. There are various hypotheses on the subject of the prototypes of the “two Mikolkas”, but, to the author’s knowledge, the reminiscences of Nicholas the “Ugodnik”, in the character of the painter, and of Kasyan, in the character of Mikolka from Raskolnikov’s dream, have not yet been fully explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible link (and its reflection on the writer’s imagination) between the evil peasant beating the horse and the “infernal” Saint Kasyan in the light of the legend of Nicholas and Kasyan published in the first issue of Tikhonravov’s Chronicles of Russian Literature and Antiquity.
Keywords: Ugodnik, St Nicholas, St Kasyan, Tikhonravov, Horse, Dream; Crime and PunishmentOn Nikolai Ugodnik and Kasyan Ugodnik in Dostoevsky (on the material of Crime and Punishment)
The question of the presence of St Nicholas in Dostoevsky’s works has already been studied by literary critics (e.g. Meyer, Nazirov, Agashina). Direct and indirect references to the image or name of St. Nicholas “the Ugodnik” occur many times in Dostoevsky’s fiction (including his novels Humiliated and Insulted, The Gambler, Demons, and The Adolescent) and in his correspondence (see, for example, the writer’s comment about St. Nicholas in his letter to Maikov of the 9th of October 1870: “He will not leave us, because St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the Russian spirit and Russian unity”). The author of this paper pays special attention to relevant echoes in Crime and Punishment, where the figure of the saint is reflected in the “two Mikolkas” (the drunken peasant who kills the horse in Raskolnikov’s first dream and the old believer who admits to murdering the pawnbroker). These particular echoes of St Nicholas are worth considering in the light of some folklore texts, especially one legend in which St Nicholas is the main person along with his “opponent” Kasyan. In the years of the birth of the plot and the writing of the novel many interesting folklore collections and materials (Yakushkin, Afanasiev) were published, of which Dostoevsky could not have been unaware. There are various hypotheses on the subject of the prototypes of the “two Mikolkas”, but, to the author’s knowledge, the reminiscences of Nicholas the “Ugodnik”, in the character of the painter, and of Kasyan, in the character of Mikolka from Raskolnikov’s dream, have not yet been fully explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible link (and its reflection on the writer’s imagination) between the evil peasant beating the horse and the “infernal” Saint Kasyan in the light of the legend of Nicholas and Kasyan published in the first issue of Tikhonravov’s Chronicles of Russian Literature and Antiquity.
Keywords: Ugodnik, St Nicholas, St Kasyan, Tikhonravov, Horse, Dream, Crime and Punishmen
По поводу смеха у Достоевского: новые исследования
No full textAbout Laughter in Dostoevsky: New Studies
The recent appearance of two miscellanies of studies dedicated to humour and laughter in Dostoevsky’s work are a precise testimony to a new awareness of this aspect of the Russian writer’s poetics. An aspect that, despite its centrality and importance, had been paradoxically removed from the critical discourse from the very beginning. This article analyses in detail one of these volumes, entitled Funny Dostoevsky: New Perspectives on the Dostoevskian Light Side (ed. by Lynn Ellen Patyk & Irina Erman, 2024). The book is full of interesting and original insights, and some of its theses invite discussion. The stereotype of Dostoevsky as an over “serious” and exclusively “tragic” writer will be difficult to undermine, especially at the level of mass reception, yet these studies, along with other clues, hint at an orientation less influenced by prejudice, at least at the academic level. Therefore, editorial choices such as Claudia Scan dura’s are also important: Scandura, a specialist in Russian poetry, has recently published in Italian, in her own translations, a collection of Dostoevsky’s verses accompanied by a wonderful preface focusing on his particular type of humour and the importance it had for the OBERIU collective in the 1920s.
Keywords: Humour; Laughter; Dostoevsky’s Verses; Dostoevsky studies; Bakhtin; Funny Dostoevsky
Call for papers: Humanness, Godness, and the Universe in Dostoevsky’s Work. International Conference (Athens, October 2025)
No full textAirlines’ Emission Disclosures: The Fine Line Between Opportunity and Environmental Inaction
No full textThe aviation industry is notorious for its environmental impact. In response to growing climate change awareness, companies began reporting carbon emissions in the early 2000s to gain public approval. However, the information provided is often filtered to enhance public image, leading to concerns about transparency and greenwashing.
This study examines Ryanair’s 2021 Sustainability Report to assess the transparency of its environmental policies and the sincerity of its language. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Hallidayan linguistics, the analysis focuses on how the language reflects the company’s attitudes and intentions.
The term ‘transparency’ involves many contradictions, such as openness versus secrecy. While transparency is a valued ideal, preliminary results suggest that Ryanair’s report may construct a reality that serves the airline’s interests rather than reflecting genuine transparency
Taming Southern California Wilderness: Animality, Capitalist Pioneers, and Christian Socialism in Upton Sinclair’s Oil!
No full textDespite David Fine’s consideration of Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! (1926) as the most ambitious novel about Los Angeles in the 1920s (2004), the novel received limited critical attention, except for an early reading of the novel as a debunking of Los Angeles’ crooked capitalist monopoly, and a recent renewed interest in ecocritical perspectives related to the oil industry and oil trade. Venturing beyond these two main threads, the essay offers a reading of the novel that focuses on human interaction with the Southern California flora and fauna and explores how human/animal relationships influence the social dynamics between the protagonists and oil workers. The analysis is thus structured in two main parts. First, it briefly situates the novel within literary transitions: as a “new frontier” novel and as one of the earliest examples of extractive fiction (M. S. Henry 2019). Second, drawing on “animality studies” (M. Lundblad 2013), it analyzes several instances of humans’ animalization and animality – the construction of the human/animal categories based on Darwinist-Freudian terms – and interrogates the application of the “survival of the fittest” discourse to the conflict of capital (oilmen) versus labor (socialist workers). Ultimately, it demonstrates that the conflict is instead resolved on the grounds of Christian piety and morality, due to the religious component with which the narrative imbues Socialism
“From Faraway California”: Thomas Pynchon’s Aesthetics of Space in the California Trilogy. Ali Dehdarirad
No full textReview of “From Faraway California”: Thomas Pynchon’s Aesthetics of Space in the California Trilogy by Ali Dehdarirad